ot: kleine storry von unserem ersten wowa-ausflug letztes we | Posts 16+

'Ulf: My previous statement might have been a bit exaggerated, but it's true that gas station operators really don't care how much anyone fills up. Sometimes, the revenue from the gas business isn't even enough to cover the costs associated with it (especially when you factor in things like rent, the proportional share, maintenance costs for the pumps, oil separators, the 16kW of outdoor lighting, and so on).'

Even the large corporations aren't making much profit from fuel; they force their franchisees to buy exclusively from certain wholesalers and then take a percentage of the sales! In no European country are the margins on fuel as low, yet in France, for example, it's just as expensive.
I was there recently, BP in Paris was 97 cents, a free station right next door was 80 cents. I filled up at the free station for the return trip, and my car smelled terrible, and I had to refuel again in Münster! On the way there, one tank of gas was more than enough.

Why would anyone still run a gas station? Because people buy their bread there in the morning out of convenience, and because you can make a lot of money on weekends and after store hours with drinks, cigarettes, grilled meat, etc. However, with our gas station, we used to earn significantly more money years ago than we do today, and for example, we can no longer afford to hire a full-time employee (yet another job lost).

An interesting thought: What happens if the law requiring shops to close is completely abolished, and gas stations have to compete with the supermarkets next door on Sundays again? Well, then the gas station business will have to become a business for lessees and oil companies, meaning the price of a liter of diesel will be 1.80 euros, and half of the gas stations will close down.

michaB4 wrote:

The trick with using a flasher relay to control the solenoid valve should also work on my bypass turbo (94 1Z) to potentially unstick a stuck bypass valve, right?

Hi Michael,

A slightly delayed response:

Activating the solenoid valve only makes sense if it is possible to "select" between different pressures.

The external pressure is always available.
In the VTG engine, the vacuum required for the turbocharger control is also available as soon as the engine is running (actually, even when the engine is not running, as long as the vacuum reservoir has enough pressure).

With the 1Z, the overboost is only available when there is boost pressure - so, in practice, while driving with some engine load.
--> If you control the 1Z valve in the engine at idle using the turn signal or other means, the wastegate will hardly be affected by it, regardless of whether it is faulty or working properly.